After checking out the 44mm FC ROO recently I was really surprised how amazing this piece looks on the wrist., pictures just don't do it justice IMO. I have tended to stay away from The FC AP's in the past as I like a bit of heft from a metal watch case on my wrist, however the 44mm FC ROO wasn't "feather" light on the wrist, just extremely comfortable and the mix of Ti and Carbon and ceramic looks killer! Everything about the piece seems right.
So, my only hesitation is the durability of the FC case over the long haul, is it still gonna look so good after 10 years of regular wear in my rotation?
I have a SS ROO Rubber Clad which still looks good as new after 6yrs of very regular wear.
Please can any Forged Carbon owners advise of their experience regarding the durability of the FC cases, I am mainly concerned about the case edges staying sharp and also wear around where the plots attach to the case. Any insights you have on carbon cases would be much appreciated.
Thanks
Colin

The FC Diver and 44mm are more recent, indeed. But we've seen it in the Carbon Alinghi, the "Bumble Bee", the Offshore Grand Prix, the Offshore Tourbillon Chronograph, Millenary Carbon One, the Concept Tourbillon GMT, etc.

They test with the tensile strength of stainless steel, so the surface wear should not be any greater. However, if you nick or ding Forged Carbon, you cannot polish it. On the other hand, those marks are much harder to notice in the "marble-like" surface of the material.

Hopefully some of the wearers will chime in, especially those who have posted here about hiking, skiing and whitewater rafting with them. :-)

Had my BumbleBee Forged Carbon for 14months, only I can say that I was really bothered with peeling of Carbon and was extremly cautious.On the watch itsself there was a dust present from carbon probably detoriating, and this really didnt make me comfortable.The most visible peel of effect(melting candle effect best words to describe it) was on the edges of the case and around the strap holders.I read so many posts on the forums about FC strenght but somehow that didnt convinced me its true.Material is really beautifull especially when the watch is new, but after some usability it starts to show its bad side.Also what I noticed is that Carbon was when the watch was new greyish/black, and after few months of wearing it was black without that greyish hue, this is my personal observation, someone will maybe laugh on this.So at the end I sold the watch, and my other friend with Grand Prix has the same problem but his bezel(Grand Prix bezel is also Carbon vs. BB Ceramic)is really baddly peeled like the watch is melted its really looking bad.Do not get me wrong Carbon cases when they came out were really the best new material in combination with ceramics but after my and others experience they are really questionable about using them on watches.To sumarize: you will have no scratches on the watch but melted candle effect is present and this bothers me more than any scratches or dings.

I hope you sorted the issues directly with AP. The pieces I've seen have held up well, including the hue. This includes BBs several years old, a Concept, and even one roughly-worn Grand Prix, which you could tell had age on it but still held form. Perhaps others will share their experience with the material (and pics, ideally). I hope you're now into a watch that is performing well, and that you're enjoying!

Thank you for sharing your experience of FC.
I am really sorry to hear that you had such a bad experience with your BB, that must have been one hell of a shock and disappointment to you.
As Howard says, hopefully other forum members will post their experience with FC pieces and some pics.

Yep, amazing how long FC has been around. I think I may still have a copy of the Alinghi FC brochure somewhere!
I can recall a conversation with a guy about the Alinghi FC piece when it was launched, we both concluded that it was a lot of money for a plastic watch and wouldn't catch on! How times have changed, so many FC pieces to choose from now and they all seem very popular.

I will try to find some pictures of my BB as I took them few times.I will repeat again that I am really cautious wearing my watches and BB wasnt daily wearing piece, so yes it was a dissapointment as I expected even better performance than ceramics.

...on my FC Diver and Trulli, both with FC cases, but ceramic and cermet bezels. I've hiked with my diver and Trulli, but haven't subjected them (nor any of my high-end watches) to serious abuse--my JLC NSA Incursion being a somewhat limited exception here, as is allowed to get more exposure to more strenuous activities.

Hey Colin, the Forged Carbon models are amazing pieces. They are so different from anything on the market and I think that is the attraction. It definitely was for me. I owned and own Forged Carbon APs. My first model was the their initial model which was the Alinghi Team Forged Carbon. I absolutely LOVED the watch.

Your question on durability really does depend on the user and this isn't limited to FC. I have seen people who don't care about the occasional scratch or ding on their pieces. I have seen all metals scratched and dinged up. I am very careful and all my watches look new besides the typical hairline.

The Alinghi model I had did get some wear on the bezel. This was the most vulnerable part of the watch. The bezels on APs just stick out. My case was perfect when I sold it. No dings/dents. It was used very often for over 4 years. The only issue I saw was that you could possible use your nail and scrape off the FC if you used some pressure. I did this on the bezel when I saw the few dings I had.

The best way to use FC in my opinion is what AP has done in recent years. Combine the FC cases with ceramic/cermet bezels. This is basically the perfect FC watch. My ginza is this way and I have worn it very often for over 1.5 years. With this configuration you have peace of mind with the bezel in place.

Thanks for the response Henry, your Ginza is a great looking piece, I suspect that it gets a lot of wrist time.
Do you think the carbon cases on the post Alinghi models are of a different composition as AP have further refined the material? Also I am curious, are you able to scrape carbon off the case on your other FC pieces in the same way as you described with your original Alinghi bezel?
I suspect that FC must have stood the test of time to a certain degree given that it is now so widely used by AP.
I agree that FC cases and ceramic bezels seem or be a perfect combo for killer looks and hopefully long term durability.
Cheers
Colin